55 – Whale Watching
Under the surface
everything looks smaller.
They seem close,
but all we see are
fins, the mist of their breath,
and if we are lucky, a tail
waving as if to say bye-bye
until one breaches
splashing water
all over the waves
and reveling
that even a humpback looks small
from this distance.
13 Pictures of Floreana
We left Espanola and went to Santa Maria, also called Floreana. There we went for a hike.
1. Brackish water, known for having flamingos. Except today. No flamingos today.
Suzie’s House 221: “But I’m Better, Right?”
“Shall we call it good for today?” I tried not to appear impatient, but my time is always very, very short. It’s hard enough making myself write. I don’t need to waste time talking to a kid who isn’t interested, though I have accepted Ben’s determination. If he were going to change his mind about being a writer, he’d have done it by now. Poor kid.
The Serialists of August 3rd
Featured Author: Susan Helene Gottfried with a ShapeShifter reporter
Featured Reader: none this time.
Win a copy of Surrender To Me by Sophie Jordan
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of my monthly giveaways. About time I got back to it, I say.
Surrender to Me is about a tightly wound duchess with a passionate heart who goes off to Scotland to stop the rotten husband who stole her dowry and is now trying to bilk some other fair maid out of her dowry by claiming to be someone he isn’t. It’s a hard journey, one that leads her into the dangerous wilds where she is attacked by highwaymen. If not for the hero who saves her, the journey would have ended right there.
Their paths keep crossing as he searches for his family history and she deals with the fall out of her husband’s untimely demise until in the end, they couldn’t possibly part.
To win, simply leave a comment between now and Thursday midnight. Drawing will be done Friday and posted in my sidebar. International entries welcome.
This is a signed copy.
160 – Hitchhiker
Is a little dinghy floating in the wide, blue ocean really the best place from which to fish? A flash of wing says, “yes”.
Monkey Man hosts the 160 Character Challenge. See what you can write in 160 characters or less, spaces included.
Under Water
I was planning on doing Photo Hunt today, but I grabbed the wrong theme, and didn’t know until I went to the hub to link up. Then I was going to show you some of my underwater vacation shots. I still am, but it’s waaaay past my bed time so instead of the long explanations I’d planned, I’m just going to fling these out there and let you all guess what they are.
55 – Mail Call
We put our trust in the whisky barrel because it is called the Post Office. Our secret hopes, plans, and whereabouts, we give them into the hands of strangers, trusting that they will pass them along to our loved ones just as we pass their messages for them. It beats the old “message in a bottle.”
The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted by the G-man, a host with the most.
This is an actual place on Santa Maria called “Post Office.” It was originally set up as a way for the local authorities to keep track of pirates and regular sailors alike. Now it’s a tourist activity. Tourists leave post cards with no postage in the barrel and take ones from their part of the world which they put stamps on and post. I haven’t gotten mine back yet, but then I haven’t sent on the ones I took yet either.
13 Pictures of Española
Anybody know how to get the little curvy Spanish thing over the n?
We sailed over night from Santa Cruz to Española. Talk about a bumpy ride! We were only just getting used to the motion of the boat, and didn’t sleep well. But it was worth it when we arrived.
1. We started the day at Suarez Point where we snorkeled and hung out on a beach with sea lions.
Suzie’s House 220 : Initial Hunt
Ben sat at his mother’s desk, hands on the keyboard, butt in the chair. Ms. Audrey called it Bic-hok, which kind of sounded like a swearword to him, but she said it really worked. But she also said you had to watch out for distractions.
The Serialists of July 27th
I’m back! I hope you all are too. 
This week I am featuring Ann Pino, who just joined us in this meme. She writes post apocalyptic science fiction. I greatly enjoyed her Steal Tomorrow posts, both the completed novel which can be found here, and the outtakes such as she linked to in the previous Serialist post. Welcome, Ann!
What have you been up to lately? Writing any serials? If so, please link directly to the episodes you’d like us to read.
If you are just joining us, and would like to direct our attention to an older work, I ask that you do not link to every post in the series, but pick one or two for this week, and others for future weeks.
Also, I’d like to feature Julia again this week for her contributions while I was in the Galapagos. Thanks, Julia!
The Charles Darwin Station
On the first day of our Galapagos trip we were taken by bus through the the town of Ayora Port to the Charles Darwin Station. This is a kind of combination research center, ecological rehabilitation center, and zoo.
Most of the islands are part of a national preserve. They make no effort to save species that are endangered by natural forces – such as weather patterns – but they do try to counteract the damage done by man. Since men were the ones who decimated the tortoise populations, the people at the preserve are trying to save them.
160 – Sea Lion
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Playful
Swimming beside the boat
Flashing tail and flipper
Mugging for the camera
We take the bait
Click, click, click
Not knowing how many of his brethren
We would encounter.
Monkey Man hosts the 160 Character Challenge. See what you can write in 160 characters or less, spaces included.
